Water motor



March 6, 1928.

E. o. BRANINGTON WATER MOTOR Filed Jan, 9. 1925' 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

;; a v teale712 EDWIN' O. BRAN INGTON, OF ROCHESTER,

NEW YORK, iASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO OSGAR A. PETERS, OI ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

warns Moron;

Application filed January 9, 1925. Serial no. 1,496.

The present invention relates to Water wheels of the impact or Pelton type, and an object thereof is to largely overcome, by uniquely constructed floats or buckets, the

usual losses in energy and. thus provide a wheel of this character operating in such manner as to convert an increased amount of energy of the impinging stream into use ful work. By way of illustration, it may be stated that tests of a ten inch wheel, witha inch nozzle, under 50 lbs. pressure, gave 3585 R. P. M. and 92% efiiciency.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the full force of the impinging stream or jet just as it leaves the discharge nozzle and, also, to have the floats enter and leave the path of the propelling jet with the least possible obstruction to the jet.

Another object of the invention is to have the full force of the jet acting against a plurality of floats at the same time.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a plurality of floats mounted for oscillatory movement, each of which is in the form of two arm lever or bell-crank, one arm comprising a bucket member and the other extending normally in the direction of rotation of the wheel, each member in turn directly receiving the impact of the jetand in such manner as to cause the least possible angular deflection of the stream.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a wheel of the character described in which floats mounted for oscillatory movement project laterally and are arranged on a side face of the wheel andhave their axes radial to the axis of the wheel.

And, a still further object of the invention is. to provide a water motor of durable, simple and inexpensive construction.

To these and other ends the invention consists of: certain parts and combinations or parts as will be fully set forth in the following description and particularlydefined in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrating the invention are as follows:-

Figure 1 is a top plan viewof the motor and support therefor. T

Fig. 2 is a side view of the motor with the casing and supporting frame shown in section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of forman annular. channel Qacross which exparts as seen in Fig. 2 and showing the man- I nor in which the floats receive the impact of the propellingjet.

Fig. 4 is a-sectional detail on the line M, Fig. 2, showing one of the floats in face view.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end view of one of the floats with the bucket member shownin 60 section as on the line 5 5, Fig. 4. a 1

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification of the invention. c

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 7'?, Fig. 6.

And, Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrammatic illustrations showing the manner in which the floats of the wheel seen in Fig; 6 are impinged by the propelling jet. 7 7

Similar reference numerals refer to similars parts throughout the several views.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive Thenumeral 1 indicates a wheel which is fixed to a shaft 2 mounted in ball bearings 3 carried, in this instance, by arms 4: upstand- 7 ing from a plate or bed5 secured to frame pieces 6. The side faces of this wheel project beyond the peripheral face 8 so as to tend a plurality of regularly spaced axially 8 arranged pins 10 which have bearing in the side walls of: the channel.

Mountedon these pins 10 for oscillatory movement are floats each of which is in the form of a two arm lever with the arms eX- tending substantially at right angles to each 7 other, one arm being'longer than the other and comprising a bucket member 11 while the shorter arm 12, when the float is swung outwardly extends forwardly, or in the di rection oi: rotation of the wheel, from the inner end of the bucket member and lies against the bottom 8 of the channel, the pivotal connection being substantially at the juncture of the two arms. In other words, each float comprises a bucket member pivoted at its'inner end to oscillate about an axis parallel to the axis of the wheel and having at its inner end a forwardly projecting arm adapted to abuttlie face of the wheel and form a stop for limiting: movement ofithe bucket member beyond'a plane radially of the wheel. Fig. 2 shows the positions of the several floats when the wheel is at rest;

The impinging stream is directed through a nozzle 13 which, in this instance, is inclined at such an angle that the jet will be projected substantially tangential to the wheel and into a short sluice 14 through which the floats travel, this sluice opening into an enlarged chamber 15 having connection, not shown, with a suitable outlet for the water. The wheel is inclosed ii'ithin a suitable casing 16 secured by bolts 17 to the bed plate 5, and this casing is formed with an aperture for receiving the nozzle 13, the latter being supported in a sleeve 18 arranged in the casing at the intake end of the sluice 14.

The bucket members 11 of the floats it will be noticed have their ends and under surfaces rounded so as not to cause any sharp angular deflection of the jet, and owing to the flexible mounting of the floats the discharge opening in the nozzle 13 may be located extremely close to the outer periphery of the motor which insures the floats receiving full impulse of the stream at the nozzle.

The wheel, in this instance, rotates anticlockwise and as each succeeding bucket member 11 strikes the jet directly at the discharge from the nozzle 13, see Fig. 3, it is caused to swing in the direction of the arrow m-, thus moving its arm 12 into the path of the stream, the arm receiving direct impact from the jet while the bucket member rides on the jet, as indicated by the bucket shown in dotted lines at19, Fig. 3. At this time the next preceding float has reached the dotted line position indicated at 20. Impact of the jet against a short arm 12 causes its bucket member 11 to swing in the reverse direction to'the arrow -a:-- to enter the path of the jet and receive its direct impact. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that due to the flexible mounting of the floats there will be less deflection of the impinging stream than if they were rigidly secured to the wheel, and, also, that the stream will be acting with full force against the short arm of one float and the bucket member of the next preceding one so that the greatest possible energy of the stream is utilized with the least possible deflection thereof. Furthern'1ore,.the water is discharged from the bucket members before they begin to rise and the flexible mounting thereof also is a means of minimizing the resistance offered by the air as the floats travel upward.

In order to avoid loss of energy owing to dead water pocketing in the bucket members and to spread the water more evenly over the surface of the bucket, each such member is divided longitudinally by a. partitioning wedge 21.

In Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, there is shown a modification of the invention in which the wheel 22 within a casing 23 and secured to a shaft 24- rotatably mounted in bearings 25 is formed with an annular channel 26 in one of its side faces, the pins 27 which form bearings for the floats, extending radially and having bearing in the walls of the channel. In this modification the floats are shown as formed of sheet metal and comprise bucket members 28 and short arm members :25) at substantially right angles to each other, the arms projecting from the bucket members in the direction of travel of the wheel and co-operating with the bottom of the channel to limit outward movement. of the bucket members. In this modification, .5: in the one hercinbeforc described, the jet, which is projected from a nozzle 30 extend ing laterally from a supply pipe 31, impinges against both the arm members and the buckets of the several floats so that an oscillatory movement of the floats is offected. W'ith this form of motor no sluice is employed and the outlet for the water is through an opening 32 in the bottom of the *asing which communicates with a discharge chamber 33.

It will of course be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction of both modifications of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

hat I claim is 1. A pivotally supported float for a water motor and comprising two arms at substantially right angles to each other, one of said arms being formed as a bucket and having a rounded outer end and under surface.

2. A pivotally supported float for a vater I motor and comprising two arms at substantially right angles to each other, one of said arms being formed as a bucket and havin a rounded outer end and under surface an a longitudinally extending web in the center 10!; of its dished portion.

3. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted for oscillatory movement on the wheel, each comprising two arms of unequal length at sub- 11o stantially right angles to each other, and a nozzle, both arms of each succeeding float receiving direct impact from the jet from said nozzle as the wheel rotates, the forward part of theunder surface of the long arm 11 of each float being inclined to permit the end edge of the arm to pass close to the discharge end of the nozzle.

4. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted for 05- cillatory movement on the wheel, each comprising two arms of unequal length at substantially right angles to each other, a nozzle and a sluice, both arms of each succeeding float receiving direct impact from the jet from said nozzle, said jet impinging against one arm of one float and against the other arm of the next preceding float while such two floats are passing through said sluice, the forward part of the under surface of the long arm of each float being inclined to permit the end edge of the arm to pass close to the discharge end of the nozzle.

5. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted for 0s cillatory movement on the wheel, each comprising a bucket member and an arm projecting from the inner end of the bucket member in the direction of rotation of the wheel, a nozzle, and a sluice, both members of each float receiving direct impact from the jet from said nozzle, said jet impinging against the arm member of one float and against the bucket member of the next preceding float while such two floats are passing through said sluice, the forward end of the bucket member of each float being cut back to permit the top end edge to pass close to the discharge end of the nozzle.

6. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted for oscillatory movement on the wheel, eachfloat comprising two arms of unequal length arranged at substantially right angles to each other and the longer arm having an inclined under surface at its forward end, a nozzle, and a sluice, the inclined surface of the longer one of said arms striking the jet close to the mouth of said nozzle whereupon the float is caused to sWing to carry the longer arm first away from and then into said jet, both arms receiving direct impact from the jet during such oscillatory movement.

7. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted for oscillatory movement on the wheel, each float comprising two arms of unequal length arranged at substantially right angles to each other and the longer arm having an inclined under surface at its forward end, a nozzle and a sluice, the inclined surface of the longer one of said arms striking the jet close to the mouth of said nozzle whereupon the float is caused to swing to carry the longer arm first away from and then into said jet, both arms receiving direct impact from the jet during such oscillatory movement and the shorter arm co-operating with a face of the wheel to limit outward swing of the longer arm.

8. In a water motor, the combination of a wheel, a plurality of floats mounted 'for oscillatory movement on the wheel, each float comprising a bucket member and an arm member projecting from the inner end of the arm member in the direction of rotation of the wheel, a nozzle, and a sluice, the bucket member of each float having its under surface cut back at its forward end and striking the jet close to the mouth of said nozzle whereupon the float is caused to swin to carry the bucket member first away and then into said jet, both said arm and said bucket member receiving direct impact from the jet. during'such oscillatory movement and while the float is passing through said sluice.

EDIVIN O. BRANINGTON.

rom' 

